Bushidō 武士道
by cherryvvoid
Summary: Getting reborn into Naruto-verse doesn't always mean you get the life of a Shinobi. Even if your father was a famous one. Oc!Jiraiya's Daughter. SI-Insert Samurai!Oc
1. There's A Flip Side To Every Story

Her uncle was a Samurai. He was the leader to their family, powerful, tall, and broad shouldered. Her uncle was the closest thing to a father she had seeing as how her biological one wasn't in the picture. He was raised young to live by the Bushido and he will die by it as well.

_Her father was a linguist. In fact he was the head of the department, talented and fluent with a thin build. He always did have an interest in languages, so it was no wonder as to his profession.  
_  
Her mother was the sister of the Taisho. She was strong willed and resilient and therefore she was never phased the mutterings of '_bastard child_' she heard trailing after her swollen stomach. At night she would whisper to her unborn daughter and tell her to grow strong so that she can slit the throats of all those who would dare oppose her rise to power because undoubtedly, there would be _many_. Her mother is a beautiful, proud woman.

_Her mother was an artist studying in Europe. She met her father while he was attempting to speak horrible __Caracas__to a vendor. With her mastery of the dialect and his charisma, it was practically fated to happen. She fell pregnant two years after their initial meeting and when the news was broken to their families, the couple was greeted with joyful congratulations._

She was conceived on the twenty third of June. It was a long birth full of contractions, but not once did her mother cry out. Shouldering the pain she pushed out her legacy and held the white haired child close to her bosom.

_It was a quick arrival, less than two hours hours before their child was brought into the world. Her mother screamed the whole while but smiled in joy at the bundle in her arms._

She was named Hanazono Byakuran.

White orchid of the flower garden. It fits when her appearance was taken into consideration.

_She was named Julia Grace._

_Youthful grace of God. Less than suitable but it was pretty._

Byakuran was born on the outskirts outside of the land of Iron in a village called Sabi no Mura. Soon after they were on the move, her family was eager to return home although it will take time.

_Julia was born in Chicago, a place called Lakeshore East, she stayed there for most of her life, content._

Byakuran has memories of another place, another time, another world. Sometimes she would think of her other family, sometimes she would wish to go back but knew she couldn't.

_Grace has no other consciousness, she lives her life with minimal regrets or wants. Why would she wish to go home when she was already there?_

One was alive.

_The other dead, placed in a body that was not her first._

So with no other choice _Julia Grace_ became Hanazono Byakuran, daughter to the Samurai. Follower of the Bushido.

* * *

Being placed into a new body was a discerning experience to say the least. Blurred vision, blurred movements, hell blurred _emotions!_

Most of her infanthood revolved around the three B's and she was happy to report not having remembered much. There would be no recollections of traumatizing breasts feeding sessions, of soiling herself, or suffering through the inane boredom for her.

Byakuran truly came to liberation on the ninth month mark of her life. Sure crawling was far slower than walking but hey, _mobility_.

Although with that mobility she came across the second biggest shock that ranked right after being reincarnated.

She was in an anime world.

How did she figure this out one may ask?

_Chakra. _

Pure unadulterated _chakra_.

It was left, right, up, and down. It stuck to everything and everyone and it was so blatantly obvious she wanted to scream. Byakuran hypothesized that she was sensitive to the phenomenon due to her rebirth because in theory her soul was unfamiliar and foreign to this world's energy source and even if her body was native, what was inside was not.

So yeah, noticing the chakra was _definitely_ a big tell.

Well that and hearing her family shout about the '_damn hidden village ninja and their idiot Kages starting their ridiculous wars, no honor having bastards!_' about three times a day tipped her off.

After that denial was pretty much not an option.

This was Naruto and she, the little not even a year old Samurai girl, had the potential to play God.

_Too bad she planned to stay out of it if she could._

Naruto had everything covered the last time she checked. No matter if Madara had taken Minato's half of the Kyuubi and Naruto was currently indisposed and comatose! That boy was nothing if not persevering!

The fact was that she didn't _need_ to affect the story. It would turn out okay and she _really_ wanted to keep her advantage. So she'd let Danzo do his ROOT thing, let Orochimaru experiment, and let Madara come back. Besides the people who could have stopped this had the chance to and didn't, so why should she pick up their slack?

Sarutobi, Hashirama, and Jiraiya had a _lot_ of shit to answer for and since she mentioned them, she might as well give them credit for their major fuck ups.

Sarutobi made the mistake of not killing Orochimaru and trusting Danzo to disband his little operation resulting in the numerous murders and abductions of children nationwide which lead to so many problems in the series. Danzo was also the culprit of grave desecration, immoral experimentation, and immense levels of child abuse. And Jiraiya with all of his amazing spy friends didn't know about Snake Face or the old Warhawk experimenting, or even that one of the orphans that he had helped had the goddamn _Rinnegan! _

What use was his information ring if he didn't catch wind of such obvious things?

Oh and Hashirama should have just gotten rid of Madara when he had the fucking chance or at the very least attempted to stop the blatant discrimination against the already volatile man. If they were friends he should have put a stop to Tobirama's frankly disgusting prejudice.

But she digressed. Let the ninja world work it out until the new war broke out. Then she would jump in when her people were needed, after all what decent Samurai would just go gallivanting around with a bunch of _ninja_?

Hanazono were of the Bushido through and through, so it didn't matter if some Shinobi were pretty cool. Her kaa-chan and oji-san trumped them through and through.

If it wasn't already inferenced, they were her prized people.

Her mother, Tatami was a dazzling woman with turquoise hair and violet eyes - blame the Naruto effect for the strange coloring. She was talented with a katana and deadly with a wazashi. Her mother had gone out on her 22nd birthday and came back on her 24th with her pregnancy showing.

Yes her mother used the hypothetical turkey baster method to get a child. Tatami explained it out, met this guy, he was strong, had sex, made sure to that she was with child and she vanished.

Ethically horrible but then again, the woman kills on an order. It wasn't exactly _surprising_ how she came about.

Her uncle Sojiro had the same coloring as her mother. He was stern, powerful, but he cared for her. A Taisho who served in the land of Iron's military, Hanazono Sojiro was not to be messed with.

Now the only thing Byakuran shared in common with her relatives were her eyes. Other than that it's white tresses that fell lazily around her ears instead of that pretty blue. It was too bad really, she liked the family hair color.

* * *

When she reached the age of a two years her mother and uncle finally decided to teach her the code.

And what was the code? Only the guideline of _every_ person within her clan.

The Bushidō code was made up by eight virtues:

The first was Rectitude (義 gi): Act with properness

The second was Courage (勇 yū): Never be paralyzed with fear.

The third was Benevolence (仁 jin): Know mercy as a friend

The fourth was Respect (禮 rei): Give dues where they are earned.

The fifth was Honesty (誠 makoto): Prize the truth.

The sixth was Honor (名誉 meiyo): It is what Samurai live by and die by.

The seventh was Loyalty (忠義 chūgi): Biting the hands that has given bread leaves a dead dog.

And the eighth was Wisdom (智 chi): One should not think as if they know, one should act as if they do.

These were the basics every training Samurai were taught and though these rules may seem soft compared to the more ruthless ninja, no one should allow themselves to be fooled by the vows. Every single person in her family including herself believed those guidelines made them a stronger warrior and that kind of faith went a long way.

There were reasons why her people were feared.

"Byakuran do you understand?" Her uncle asked her after explaining where each virtue stood and with a determined nod she bowed before her uncle.

"Hai, Oji-sama, I will uphold the clan honor!" She declared, forehead resting on the tatami mats beneath them.

Feeling the nimble fingers of her uncle's hands rubbing her hair she smiled and sidled closer allowing him to keep up the pretenses of teaching her kanji. She lived with a linguist all her life, she learned a few things and then some.

* * *

**So this is my attempt at an Oc!Insert in Naruto. There are no Samurai stories and I just had to. Enjoy and please review. I am also sorry if I messed up any Japanese.  
**

**Edit: 1/23/16**


	2. Ready, Steady, Go

One major difference between Shinobi and Samurai was their way of creating warriors.

Ninja tended to pluck the smartest children who showed the most talent and handed them a kunai, completely disregarding how young the unlucky kid may be. They were expected to kill so _young_.

Samurai didn't care about how smart or how much talent one displayed. If one wasn't of age they wouldn't even be graced with a_ glimpse_ of the sheath to a blade.

Most of the kids from Shinobi settlements didn't even have the mentality to do what their job description entailed and it showed when poor helpless genin froze on the battlefield. Even from before while she had been reading up on the leaf academy credentials, Byakuran didn't think letting just anyone apply was the right approach.

No screening process, no entrance exam, _nothing_. It was such a waste of time! Half of them dropped out before graduating and that was just wasting not only the teacher's time, but the Hokage's, the village's, and the more deserving. Training canon fodder only got one so far.

Honestly she respected Kumo, Suna, and Iwa way more than the leaf. At least those village's politics weren't completely shit and their Shinobi knew how to keep a leash on their people, weed out the fit from the unfit, and its advisers weren't crazy or backstabbers. At least not to the extent that Konoha's were.

Like _really_, deciding killing an entire clan because_ some_ of them were planning to rebel was just stupid. She was sure there were some Uchiha who weren't down for a betrayal of that level so why didn't they attempt to help those people out.

The Samurai had their own ways of telling the chafe from the wheat. But one wasn't allowed to go through the telling process unless they had proven that they are prepared to take that dedicating step, whether it was mentally, emotionally, or physically. Unlike with the academy, people didn't get to walk away once they've started.

If the person has proven themselves but then they fail the individualized test they had to wait a minimum of two years to try again. Sometimes even more depending on the situation. Unlike the ninja where the next test was a new opportunity, the Samurai recognized that change doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort, just jumping back into it without reflecting on what was done wrong or what needed to be improved was stupid. Naruto probably would have graduated earlier if he just took some time to observe, recollect, and not rush into things but _whatever._

But Byakuran supposed it was a system that worked for them seeing as how they did have some strong front liners.

Byakuran thought she lucked in the reincarnation wheel because the life of a Samurai suited her the best. There was a discipline and structure to it that she sought, craved, and took to like a duck to water.

Which was why she was currently - read: attempting - to meditate. The goal her mother had given her was locate and concentrate on her chakra. Not to use or manipulate in anyway or even make it flicker, just to observe it.

It was harder than she thought it would be because the first few times she had fallen asleep much to her mother's amusement.

"Focused a little too much my little orchid?" The turquoise haired woman teased every time she found her dozing, one slim eyebrow raised in question as Byakuran ducked sheepishly.

This was her sixtieth attempt at submerging herself today. Her entire body twitched with the need to move but she was determined.

It wasn't that she had a short attention span or that it was hard. But rather how could she concentrated on her internal chakra while the external chakra pranced around on her senses?

At first she tried to ignore it but failed miserably when the pieces floating around tickled her face. Then she attempted to push them away but controlling chakra outside her body was _much _harder, almost felt as if she was stretching herself to the brink. She stopped after she had somehow fallen over and smacked her head really hard on the floor. The impact brought tears to her face.

Frustrated beyond belief Byakuran let out a growl of discontent which drew the attention of her mom.

"Is something troubling you?" Tatami inquired, delicate brow furrowed in concern.

Glancing towards her mother she shifted indecisively. Byakuran wanted to do this by herself without any assistance from anyone only if to prove a little independence, but she didn't know how to get around this at all. Swallowing her pride she spilled the beans.

"I can feel the chakra everywhere and it keeps bugging me."

Her mother froze, ice purple eyes zipped to meet hers and Byakuran flinched at the hard look.

"Did you try anything with this chakra?" Tatami snapped out.

She frantically shook her head.

"Uh-um I tried to push it away but ah, it felt like stretching and I f-fell so I stopped." Byakuran stammered feeling suddenly guilty for messing around with the foreign entity.

Her mother's shoulders relaxed and she sighed.

"Don't ever mess with that chakra until you receive training from a special sort of teacher." She explained, beckoning her daughter closer.

"Okay but why?" Byakuran asked, settling in her mother's lap.

"It is not an easy chakra to mold. It's different from the energy in our coils because it is completely natural to the earth." Her mother said, running one hand through her hair.

"Does it have a name?"

Tatami hummed. "I believe it's called Sen Chakra."

Byakuran immediately froze, mind flashing back to the frog summit, the statues, and most importantly to sage mode. _She could have been turned into a freaking __**frog**__._

Her mother took notice of her tenseness and asked her what was wrong.

Thinking quick Byakuran pulled an excuse out of her rectum. "Will I never be able to use normal chakra?"

The blue haired woman laughed gaily. "Of course you will be able to, I'll help you get started. But first explain to me what happens."

And so she did, she told about how there seems to be a block and how it's hard to concrete on herself.

Nodding to herself Tatami seemed to have come to a solution which made the white haired girl visibly perk up.

Placing Byakuran parallel to her she held out one hand that glowed blue.

"This is one of my chakras. Do you know how I made it?"

She nodded, entranced with the glowing appendage. "By combining your energies."

"Very good, but which energies?"

"Physical and mental."

Tatami reached out her hand and held it to the crown if her head.

"Inside of you there is more than just your yin and yang chakra. Every person has seven bases which can also be defined as the gates." Tatami explained, "This one here is called the Sahasrara or 'the crown', it represents knowing and consciousness."

Byakuran nodded as her mother moved her hand to her brow.

"This one here is called the Anja or 'third eye', it represents intuition and psychic prowess. Hone this and you will be a force to be reckoned with."

Moving down to her neck Tatami pressed her chakra covered hand close. "Next is the Visuddha or 'throat', this represents relationships and the right to speak. This chakra is particularly strong in you."

Byakuran grinned, so she had been raised on the freedom of speech, sue her.

"After the Visuddha comes the Anahata or 'the heart', this stands for love, compassion, and forgiveness something I wish for you to keep always." Tapping a palm to her chest, she moved down to her stomach.

"This one is the Manipura or 'sacral center, this is for empowerment and personality. Important as all the others maybe even more so because it is the core of your being."

"Svadisthana is after. It means 'spleen' and represents the right to feel. Emotions are a gift, treat them well." Her mother placed her hand on her abdomen before moving her hand to her tailbone.

"And lastly the Muladhara or 'the root', this is where the need for survival originates from. It represents the right to live and though it is powerful, survival sometimes it not the most important thing."

Moving away Tatami smiled at Byakuran.

"Now that's out of the way how do you feel?"

A bit perturbed at the quick change of subject, Byakuran looked down and shrugged.

"I meant your chakra my little orchid, is it easier to find?"

Closing her eyes she searched deep within herself like she had for the past weeks and nearly jumped with joy when she detected a little spark.

"YOSH! I CAN FEEL IT!" Byakuran shouted before throwing herself at her mother, who caught her easily.

"How did you do it? It was so hard before!"

Her mother smiled. "When you told me your symptoms it seemed that you had a blockage somewhere in your network. I simply searched and got rid of it."

"Wow, so you're like a chakra superhero or something?"

Tatami chuckled. "I'm your chakra superhero."

Rising to a stand her mother beckoned her to follow.

"Come, I'll show you some chakra exercises before you go back to meditating."

"Wait! Kaa-chan! Before we did the gate thingies you said 'one" of your chakras!" Byakuran called, feeling undeniably curious. "You have another?"

Tatami smiled mysteriously. "It's a clan secret I'll let you in on when I feel you are ready."

Great, now she was getting Uchiha-esque on her. Way to set an example mom.

"Now hurry, don't think asking questions will get you out of meditating."

Byakuran groaned, at least it would be easier this time.

* * *

**Edit: 1/23/16**

**I'm rewriting the chapters to this story. So every chapter should be back up by monday.**


	3. Kiss With A Fist

Today was the first time Byakuran would be allowed to sit in on a Ryūkyū Kobujutsu match between two up and coming Samurai children. Her mother had informed her of the invitation weeks prior and ever since then she had been practically buzzing in her seat with anticipation.

When one practiced Ryūkyū Kobujutsu they had the choice of various weapons to fight with.

A rokushakubo, (or a "bō"), a sai (or a dagger-shaped truncheon), a kama (or sickle) and nunchaku. The tekko (steel knuckle) was also a surprisingly popular choice though a large majority also prefered the tinbe-rochin (or shield and spear) and some the surujin (or weighted chain).

The martial arts involved were sprung from the Kankū-dai and Kankū-sai along with the Gojūshiho and Gojūshiho-no-sai katas, all were similar to karate. Though with the Kankū-dai and Kankū-sai katas they would use an open handed karate kata instead. Those two styles were well known in the Samurai world by the use of flowing techniques that resemble the ones found in White Crane Kung Fu.

Now the Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho-no-sai katas were similar but different.

Gojūshiho Shō began straight off with a wide variety of advanced techniques meaning if someone only knew just one specific fighting skill then it would be impossible to employ Gojūshiho Shō.

Gojūshiho Dai was made up of many advanced open-handed techniques and attacks to the collar-bone, it was pretty singular when being compared to the its brother style.

The another fighting style was Budō which meant "Martial Ways".

With Budō it was more of a lifetime practice that someone dedicated themselves to. Some warriors took to Budō and others to iaido but both were effective when used by a master. Budō was not bujutsu - which was a style a person lived by - as much as their way of life.

The form they were using today was Soeishi No Dai, a bo form that supplemented kicks into it's technique.

The two fighting were Hanazono Daiki and Sarui, her distant cousins. Both paid respects to each other before sliding into their Soeishi No Dai stance with their legs a few inches wider than shoulder length apart, dominant foot forward, and the bo staff lined to their waist.

Each boy wore a pair of loose black training pants and a sleeveless shirt with the kanji for the family name on the back.

"Hajime!" Her uncle called and the two burst forward. Staffs clanking into each other as they spun to and fro, bodies twisting expertly for moments on time before one or the other stumbled in mistake. It made sense that their level or talent allowed them to move like that. They were ten and at had at the age of four, one year away from her current age, decided to be a Samurai.

Fingers clenching in the fabric of her yukata, Byakuran leaned forward eyes blazing.

Yes, she wanted that, to be able to control her movements and with all confidence pick up a weapon and know that she could protect her important people.

Maybe the thought of attacking others should have phased her more but slowly she was being conditioned. Mentally prepared to run her enemies through if need be and she would admit it scared her slightly.

But she was even more terrified of not being able to do anything to help the people she loved. Byakuran thought back to the first time she had seen her uncle bleed. They never explicitly told her but she knew he had just come from a fight with a ninja.

It wasn't a bad wound, simply a cut in his arm but Byakuran's mind was racing.

What if the strike had been a few inches to the left?

What if it hadn't been a kunai but a jutsu?

_Her uncle would have been dead._

Someone she had come to _love_, would be _dead_.

So as she watched the fight in the dojo Byakuran swore she would be prepared in time for her deadline. She swore on her honor as a follower of the Bushido and to a Samurai honor was _everything_.

* * *

**So now you know more about Samurai fighting styles. Sorry if I made mistakes.**

**Edit: 1/23/16**


	4. The Devil Came Down From Georgia

Byakuran honestly couldn't believe this was happening to her.

Staring wide eyed at the group of kids who stood crowded around her with scowls of disdain planted on their young faces, Byakuran couldn't understand why they would do this to her. The children of the clan had no problems with her up to this point and she was left wondering what _happened_?

"BASTARD CHILD!" One of them screeched, whipping out an arm that caught her shoulder harshly.

Surprised at the sudden burst of animosity, Byakuran fell in reverse. She laid there for a few seconds blinking rapidly, ignoring the stinging on her back.

She had only approached them in a desire to play with the ungrateful brats. As the niece to the head she would need connections if she wanted to be known but when she had spoken to them _this_ was what she got. Listening to them chatter nastily above her she twitched with every scathing word.

"My mother said she thinks Sojiro-sama has gone senile letting a non-clan born stain live with us even if it is his sister's child."

"I heard that she has bad blood, like there's dirt in her veins."

"Ew! Like the kind on the ground?"

"Even worse." They laughed, the sound like ice chips to her stomach. It disgusted her immensely.

"Wouldn't expect anything better from the clan's bastard."

It felt like a stab to the heart. That pathetic moniker that shouldn't have hurt so much felt like acid in an open wound.

_Bastard._

A child born out of wedlock.

A sneer twisted her mouth as her fingers dug grooves in the ground below her.

It was an smear to _her_.

A smear to her unknowing _father_.

A smear to her _uncle_.

A smear to her _mother_.

Her teeth dug harshly into her lip, red falling over the white of her teeth.

..._how dare they?_

...how dare they even

_**speak**__ that way towards her?_

...

_**HOW DARE THOSE LITTLE SHIT HEADS INSULT HER FAMILY!**_

Leaping to her feet she clenched her fists until her fingers burrowed deep into her skin and bloody crescents appeared. Drawing herself up, Byakuran growled at the boy who had pushed her and threw dark looks at the surrounding boys.

"_Apologize_." Byakuran's voice came out low and strained, eyes narrowed dangerously as her frame shook with barely restrained anger.

"No." The boy answered. This nameless _unimportant_ boy answered, placing his _unimportant_ hands arrogantly on his _unimportant_ hips. Expression haughty and high bred and Byakuran itched to knock him straight.

_How_. _Dare_. _They_? They didn't even have the right to look at her with their stupid little condescension inherited from unimportant clan - _not family, __**never**__ family_ \- members.

"I. Said. Apologize. **Now**." She punctuated, taking a step closer with each word. The ones behind him shifted slightly at her voice but the leader - obviously dumber than the rest - became emboldened. Little fuck.

She'd show him, just like she'd show the rest.

"Do it or _else_!" She threatened, and was pleased that he minutely flinched but no dice. He just kept running his stupid, _stupid_ mouth.

"Why would I say sorry for calling you what you are?" He questioned, acting faux confused before sneering and Byakuran could feel her muscles coiling. "You're just lucky enough I didn't call your mother what she is. A lying clan betraying whor-"

Byakuran lunged with a war cry flying from her mouth. She had him screaming before the word even touched his tongue. Eyes sharpening she took off after the others. They would _all_ get what they deserved.

* * *

Byakuran sat in an uncomfortable seiza with her back stiff and straight and tiny weights tried onto her wrists as her hands were held out to the sides.

With a scowl she turned her face from her uncle and his exasperated sighs. Stubbornly staying silent she ignored her trembling arms and refused to meet his gaze.

Byakuran would not feel remorseful. She _wouldn't_.

"So," Sojiro began for the tenth time in the past minute. "will you tell me what spurred you to attack them? Did they insult you?"

Silence. Glaring even harder into the corner of the room Byakuran gritted her teeth. If they had only done that then maybe she wouldn't have broken that kid's nose...and fractured his ulna...and torn some ligaments...Shaking her head she erased the dark grin of satisfaction from her face and dutifully pretended not to hear her oji-sama's question.

After a while he sighed in exasperation. Again.

"Tatami, come deal with your child while I go deal with the other ten." He grumbled passing by her and exiting through the sliding door.

Though she was pleased they would also be in trouble she flinched slightly at his dismissive tone before she quickly steeled herself as her mother sat across from her.

A contemplative silence settled over the two of them and Byakuran grimaced.

Byakuran could feel her eyes drilling into her head, and she couldn't explain what she felt.

Her mother wasn't looking at her like her uncle had been. Hard and seeking answers to his questions, probing and interrogating. She was simply looking, gaze soft and understanding. Asking her to tell when she was ready and it made her feel what Sojiro had failed to inspire.

_Guilt_.

With no small amount of anger, Byakuran could feel her eyes tear up and her chest tighten. Had she reacted unnecessarily to their taunts? Did she got too far?

Gritting her teeth Byakuran seethed internally, of course she had! She was practically ten plus years their senior in her mind, she could have handled that with more finesse befitting of her station.

_Was her mother disappointed with her? _

Byakuran's heart skipped at the mere notion but she wouldn't feel remorseful!

She wouldn't!

She _refused_ to!

"I-I'm _sorry!_" She stuttered, arms fluttering close to the ground as she wiped at her eyes. The telling wetness on her yukata sleeves made her curse herself for her weakness. Wasn't she _older_ than tears?

"I didn't mean to hurt them I-I swear! They just made me s-so _angry_!" She sobbed, emotions out of control her words regained their childish edge.

"I told them to apologize b-but they _didn't_ and I just r-reacted!" Byakuran admitted through hiccups and half screams.

Her mother's silence was not encouraging. At all.

"And I know that you think attacking family is d-disgraceful and I'm _sorry_ I dishonored the clan." She snivelled bowing her head to the floor. "I ask your f-forgiveness."

In a wild displacement of air, Byakuran found herself wrapped up in her mother. Arms around her shoulders she was pulled into a warm embrace, deft fingers untied the weights and messaged her wrists.

"Don't you _ever_," Her mother snapped and Byakuran stiffened and tried to fall back into her dogeza but failed as Tatami pulled her closer. "say you are sorry for defending yourself."

"B-but I dishonored-"

"You _dishonored_ nothing!" Her mother hissed, lilac eyes blazing something fierce. "Disciplining those in the clan is the job of the Shogun's family. You did nothing more than put those who spoke out of turn into their _place_."

The sureness and righteous fury in her voice resprung the tears in her eyes. Bawling loudly Byakuran buried her face in her mother's kimono and took the comfort that was offered.

"In this life people will call you many things. Murderer, tyrant, bastard-" Byakuran flinched. "-but don't let those words chip at your heart or wear at your soul." Tatami explained, placing her chin on the top of her head.

"Instead allow them to be a barrier, to motivate you to higher heights. Let them see how strong the 'bastard child' will grow." Tatami whispered, rubbing slow circles in her shoulders and spine.

Byakuran was not ashamed to admit that she brawled at those words.

Nodding into the bosom of her mother she pulled back after some time, her face red with tears.

"Now then why don't you tell me the whole story?"

* * *

"...so then you grabbed them by the hair and swung them into each other?" Her mother questioned with a raised brow and Byakuran nodded.

"And all of that earned you the nickname of the Awai Bakemono?"

The woman tilted her head.

"White monster? Hm, It fits."

"Kaa-chan!" Byakuran cried but was thoroughly ignored.

"Hm, I can't fault you for successfully but sloppily using the clan fighting techniques when you haven't been formally trained wasn't the brightest idea. Not to mention you allowed yourself to take too much damage in the process."

She winced as her mother ran a green hand over the various bruises and cuts on her body and shrugged.

"It gets the job done."

"Yes but at what cost? Some of these I will have to leave there to get my point across" Tatami smiled causing a shiver to roll down her spine. Scary~.

"Hey kaa-chan?" Byakuran called and received an answering hum.

"Why do you know iryo-jutsu?" This made her mother pause in wrapping her chest before giving another contemplative hum.

"My brothers were a reckless bunch." She chuckled, tucking the last of the white wrap around her arms and Byakuran blinked in confusion.

"_Brothers_? I thought only Sojiro-oji-sama was my uncle?"

"Not quite my little orchid."

"Then where are they?" Byakuran questioned.

"Two had died defending the clan and the last joined our special force." Tatami explained and Byakuran nodded.

"Ah." She knew of the special force. In their clan who didn't? The Ken no Kage. Shadow of the Sword. Self explanatory really, they were similar to Anbu but instead they wore cloth hoods and scarves to obscure their mouths, nose, and forehead. Only leaving their identical eyes on display. Really disillusioning when someone began to think all of their opponents were the same person.

"Will I ever meet him?" She asked and Tatami smiled real slow.

"I think the real question is will you meet _him_ at the same time he meets _you_." Her mother giggled and Byakuran shivered.

Wait a minute...

"Are...Are you telling me...that my uncle...has been pulling some Samurai Anbu stunts on me?"

This time Tatami outright laughed - or cackled, depending on how you viewed it - and patted her daughter's head placatingly.

"Of course he has, what, did you think he would pass up the chance to stalk his little adorable niece?"

"Actually ye-"

"Anyways," Tatami chirped, cheerfully cutting her off. "I think it most definitely time to teach you my Ken no Michi. If you're old enough to brawl I think I can teach you how to properly fight."

Raising to a stand Tatami smiled disarmingly. "I hope you are prepared for a long day of torture."

She carefully closed the door behind her leaving Byakuran to stew in her words.

"You know even though you said you weren't mad," She called to her mother with a pout. "this sure feels an awful lot like a punishment!"

Her only answer was the tell tale sound of her mother's signature cackle.

It was official, her mother was a sadist.

* * *

**Edit: 1/23/16**


	5. Revelations Aren't Just For Bibles

Byakuran heaved and choked in exhaustion as a thin layer of perspiration covered her skin, making her loose black hakama and top stick to her limbs. She had been at it for hours.

It was awful.

It was her worst nightmare.

It was-

"_Byakuran!_ I can see you slacking off! Pick up the pace. Pick it UP!"

-her _mother_.

Shoving past the tiredness of her flimsy muscles she raised the bokken and resumed her choppy movements.

_Step. Twist, flick her wrist, stab forward. Fumble with her balance. Recover footing. Swing up, to the right, down. Double step. Turn. Rinse repeat._

It was tedious work especially as she watched her mother move seamlessly through her forms and not even a second later she, her daughter, would trip over her feet. Though logically her mom would be better since she is older but try almost being the same age as her mentally. Then it was embarrassing.

For the past weeks Byakuran had been doing her chakra exercises, studying the arts, training her katas, and being run ragged by her 'loving' mother.

One would think that her being so old in a young body would be helpful with her physical training. Well they were wrong. Even from before she reincarnated she had always been more mentally inclined, ergo that's why chakra control manipulation, battle theory, and crafting her own calligraphy tags was practically her specialty.

When in her old body the only exercise she had really gotten were her meager summer gymnastics and even that had been difficult.

_Parry invisible thrust. Bring bokken level to her eyes. Slash the air in an half circle. Trip after attempting to incorporate her mother's kick. Spin. Repeat._

Byakuran could be considered something of a child prodigy. She started walking young, spoke even younger and caught onto ideas and concepts like a Venus flytrap catches flies. She was well ahead of even some of the older kids in her clan and that made her uncle and mother proud.

But even with her "enhanced" intellect and maturity she was not fit to become a Samurai with just that alone. Just because she was smart they wouldn't throw her into battle.

If she had so wanted, Byakuran could have went into battle tactics, been the Confucius of the Samurai world, or hell even a _poet_. Although yes, if someone displayed these traits they would certainly hope the person joined their ranks but they would not force or strong arm someone to join them.

Finally finishing up her set she fell into her at ease position; dominant foot forward, shoulders squared, and wooden sword at navel level.

"Good, you are showing progress." Her mother nodded, her professional face melting off to reveal her softer side.

"Un. It's hard but I think I like it." Byakuran grunted, taking the wet cloth her mother had handed her.

"You had better like it, it's apart of my legacy to you." Tatami snorted, making even that crude noise sound elegant.

"Speaking of legacies," Byakuran began, trying to appear nonchalant but by the smirk her mother sent told her she had failed. Miserably. "-will you teach me about the clan's kekkei genkai now?" Byakuran rushed, eyes downcast and fingers fiddling with the edge of her shirt.

Tatami sighed.

"If you are going to ask something of me, ask like the confident, in control young lady I know you to be." She scolded and Byakuran shifted her back into a straight line and locked eyes with her mother.

"May I please be told about the Hanazono kekkai genkai okaa-sama?" Byakuran said formally, placing her bokken over her thighs and her hands on her knees.

Tatami shook her head in humor at the serious look on her daughter's face and reached out to ruffle her white tresses.

"Ara, growing up so fast." She lamented before pulling the small girl in for a smothering hug.

"Don't ever grow older! Stay my adorable little orchid!" She cooed planting wet kisses all over her face.

Squirming away from her mother's questing lips with a panicked squealing laugh they wrestled around awhile before they both ended up on the ground.

"I-is our kekkai genkai too dangerous to tell me about?" Byakuran inquired, faint chuckles kissing her words.

"It's more of a relative danger. It's a more..._volatile_ ability some of our clan members possess." Tatami explained, hauling them both up into a sitting position.

"Volatile? Like unstable?" That sounded worse than dangerous.

"It's very...sentient and...instinct driven. Conscious even." Her mother said, struggling to find the proper words for this situation.

"Is it a doujutsu?" Byakuran really hoped it wasn't because frankly, the world didn't need a Rinnegan 2.0.

"Heavens no. Though it does reside within us."

Byakuran went silent. "Is it chakra?"

Her mother nodded and she was confused.

"How can chakra inside of us be conscious, I thought we controlled it?"

"Not as though it has a mind of it's own honey, more like it reacts to what you think. Whether you are aware of it or not."

"Example?"

Tatami hummed before holding out one hand and closing her eyes. For a few seconds the only thing that could be heard was her mother's deep breathes before the buzz of energy filled the room.

With wide eyes Byakuran stared at the churning deep red chakra coating her hand.

"This," Tatami began in a completely collected and calm voice. "is the Kakimawasu Rīchi or the Churning Reach. It won it's name because of the motion it makes and it's dexterity."

Her mother stretched out her palm at the tea kettle sitting in the corner.

"To fully equip the Kakimawasu Rīchi one must reach a perfect balance of calm. For those who cannot do such a thing then it is best to find a state of emotionlessness." Her mother then began to make the chakra jump from her palm to her elbow and snake around her forearm.

It was _not_ a natural way for chakra to move and if anyone saw it they would know it had to be a bloodline limit.

"While it is not necessarily bad to use the technique while heavy with emotional distress it also makes it much harder to control. Observe."

Suddenly the red energy spiked and pitched around shattering the teapot and table until her mother quickly calmed it.

"That was the Kakimawasu Rīchi under the duress of anger. Now imagine that being influenced by fury." Tatami closed her eyes and let the red chakra dissipate.

"There are many different things we can do with it, including incorporating it into our kenjutsu style but I think that is for another time."

Byakuran nodded in agreement.

"Now why don't we get cleaned up and go off to bed?"

Byakuran's body positively ached with every movement she made. Groaning loudly, she cursed her mother and her crazy methods before rolling out of her covers.

Crawling on her hands and knees until she reached her dresser before she pulled herself up to inspect the damage done to her person when the sight she saw made her stop cold.

Practically smashing her face into the glass Byakuran screamed in horror.

"EH!" She shouted with her eye blown wide. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

Below her lower lids were barely there, red spiked lines.

**Edit: 1/24/16**


	6. Makeup Is A Girl's Best Friend

Byakuran was officially freaking out.

It wasn't the '_oh geez oh geez this is crazy_' or the '_oh mighty Kami who resides in the heavens above all the measly humans, what is happening?_' it was the '_Oh holy hell something was happening that very well shouldn't and she was fucked!'_ type of panic attack.

Now let it be said Byakuran was not usually one to lose her shit easily, all of those meditation sessions had to affect something and it just so happens it was her patience. But when she saw those red lines, those _familiar_ red lines she almost had a heart attack.

A heart attack that would have ruptured every path way in her frail, frail heart.

Byakuran wanted to say it couldn't be, that this was all a big misunderstanding and her dad was some faceless but powerful white hair red line having warrior but she couldn't.

It was all too possible. With her father who was a mystery man and her mother who left to go have a child, it was more than likely that maybe, just maybe her father was who she thought it was. The mother fucking - quite literally - toad sage Jirai-

There was a knock at her door.

Freezing in her place, violet eyes cut across the distance to the entrance of her room and she gulped.

_Please don't let it be her uncle, please don't let it be her uncle!_

"Byakuran-sama? Is everything alright?" Her handmaiden Fuura asked, voice concerned and instantly Byakuran calmed.

"Yes, I'm sorry for disturbing you. I simply have more bruises than I thought from kaa-san's training." She said making sure to sound contrite and sheepish.

"Well is there something I can do to assist you?"

Byakuran thought it over. She didn't know any genjutsu to cover up the marks and surely the higher clan members would notice. She couldn't leave her room looking like the spawn of a legendary ninja so she would need a substitute.

"Could you bring me some powder that matches the tone of my skin?"

There was the sound of movement - most likely a bow - before Fuura spoke up again.

"Of course Byakuran-sama." Fuura shuffled away leaving her alone.

Sighing deeply she rubbed at the marks under her eyes. This would complicate things. Scowling at her reflection she whirled away and slide down to the floor.

Great now she looked even _more_ different from her clan and family. The white hair she had thought was enough, now the lines? Byakuran huffed and grimaced, from what she knew they wouldn't stop growing until they reached the ends of her cheeks and with time they would get darker and darker until makeup would not do the trick unless she got it specially made.

Peeking at her face once more in the mirror she grudgingly had to admit though she looked like her mother, she could see another face reflected in hers. And here she thought Jiraiya's facial thingies were painted on.

These telling marks made her a target. It was no secret that as a bastard child she had enemies and if someone found out that her father was who she thought it was, she was going to be in a lot more danger. But why had her mother choose him out of all the people she could have picked to have as a sperm donor?

Geez and the man didn't even know he had a child in the world and what if by some crazy coincidence he found out? What would he do? Would he be happy? Angry? Would he avoid ever having to meet her? Maybe he'd feel guilty and out of pity, try to form a bond?

A thought struck her deep within her soul.

What if his village wanted to take her away from her family?

Byakuran thought back to the time where she told her mother she could sense nature chakra. Tatami had been shocked but had acknowledged it as a useful skill she could possibly develop. Who was to say that her father's village wouldn't think the same and try to take her? And Danzo, dear god _Danzo_.

If the news of one of the Sannin's hypothetical sage mode using child who also possibly possessed a kekkei genkai was to reach anyone in the leaf first, it would him. There was only so much her parents could do against the child stealing expertise of ROOT. And if ROOT bothered her then Orochimaru was an even bigger headache. If someone loved stealing kids more than Danzo, it was that snake faced bastard.

She knew that Orochimaru was still in the leaf because Sarutobi still had yet to name a successor. Not to mention that war was still going on. As the teammate to her father - whom of which he still trusted - he would undoubtedly be one of the first to know.

So much danger revolved around these simple markings and Byakuran hated the very valid threat they posed. She was only lucky Fuura had come in answer to her shout instead of anyone else who didn't have rules and protocols in place to keep them from throwing open her door and revealing what she wanted to keep hidden.

Another knock drew her attention from her dismal thoughts.

"Byakuran-sama I have the things you had wanted."

Rising quickly to a stand Byakuran ran over to her bathroom and turned on the shower.

"Leave the materials on the night stand, I'm going to shower!" She called as she stripped her clothes off and climbed into the tub

"Of course Byakuran-sama." She heard the door open and someone walk in. Grabbing the lavender scented soap she quickly scrubbed her skin until it turned bright red from the duress. Listening to the door close Byakuran ran small fingers through her white hair and soaped it up and let herself become taken over by her mind.

She really hoped the makeup helped or god help her if someone saw.

She would have to talk to her mother about this. There was no way she could handle this knowledge by herself and since her mother knew (how could she not with his glaring characteristics?) and lived with it, she could help.

Climbing out of the bath she dried herself off, dressed in a white yukata with a violet obi sash she grabbed the powder and vanished back into the bathroom.

Peering over the edge of her abnormally large sink Byakuran's brow furrowed as she spied her stepping stool which was all the way in the next room. Huffing indignantly she turned to face the wall and planted one hand and foot on it's surface. Channeling the right amount of chakra into her limbs she pulled herself up the wall to the ceiling until she was upside down in front of her bathroom sink mirror.

Slowly withdrawing the energy from the pads of her feet she let her legs dangle a few inches away from the sink counter before letting herself drop into a crouch.

Byakuran grinned, wall walking: successful.

Grabbing the powder case Byakuran drew on her cosmetics expertise from her other life and dabbed one finger into the substance. Carefully smearing it over her lower eyelid and upper cheek bone Byakuran was extremely pleased to note that it indeed masked the red and proceeded to cover the other side.

Jumping down from the sink Byakuran ran from her room and down to the calligraphy center hoping to find her mother. Usually in the mornings she could catch her there looking elegant and focused as she traced out characters on scrolls. Throwing open the door Byakuran frowned, of course the one day she needed to speak with her was the one day her mother decided to forgo her personal little tradition.

Growling in frustration she set off again. And again. And again. All throughout the compound people could hear the sound of sliding doors being opened and slammed. Followed by the sound of a frustrated, strangled yell that no one could decipher.

Falling to her knees Byakuran grasped her long pale hair and gave a vicious tug which immediately had her rubbing her scalp in pain.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that blasted woman was a ninja in disguise." She grumbled, a pinched expression on her face.

"What 'blasted woman'?" An amused voice piped from behind her and Byakuran sprung to attention.

"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" She shouted, her previous anger gunning towards the turquoise haired woman before her.

At the raised brow of her mother Byakuran quickly backtracked. "Please Okaa-sama." She even added in a little bow.

"Of course musume." Turning on her heel her mother strode through the halls and lead her daughter to a room with a low rise table and a tea pot.

Settling down Tatami turned a smile to her child.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Steeling herself Byakuran refused to wimp out. This conversation needed to happen no matter how scared she was.

Wiping at her lids she uncovered the budding marks, raised her head, and stared her mother straight in her shock glazed eyes.

"I think it's time you told me who my father was."

* * *

**Edit: 1/24/16**


	7. Children, Children

Byakuran held her mother's gaze unflinchingly as they practically pierced through hers. Her back was ramrod straight and her hands clasped tight in her lap, pale from the blood restricting grip. Her mother's expression had yet to change and somehow looking at the dispassionate mask splattered on her mother's usually passionate face made her blood run cold.

Her mother's hand reached out and brushed against her lower eyelids. Byakuran held perfectly still, a little inkling of fear budding at the thought of her mother so close to her eyes after her frozen state. It wasn't really a fear of being hurt but it was one of rejection. She already looked so different from them already what if...?

"When did those appear?" She asked, tone calm and blank.

Byakuran looked startled at the question but squared her shoulders and answered her confidently. "This morning okaa-sama."

She turned her eyes politely just to the left of her mother's face and heard a deep weary sigh echoed through the room.

"I'm not angry with you my little orchid I had only hoped that you wouldn't have to receive such a telling trait," Tatami explained running a hand through her unbound hair. "If anything I should be the one receiving your ire, rightfully so too."

Byakuran stayed silent.

"I suppose you would like to know how it happened ne?" The usually poised woman said with a rueful smile painted on her lips.

Turning her eyes back to face her mother she nodded once and nothing more.

"Then I guess I will have to tell this tale from the beginning." With a heaving breath, Tatami started to pour herself a cup of tea before she paused with indecision.

"I don't think a herbal blend is going to cut it this time." Tatami mused, chuckling dryly. Reaching below the table she pulled out a white bottle and spilled its contents into a cup.

Byakuran was startled and quickly she reached out and captured her mother's wrist.

"If...if this is causing you so much stress then we don't have to talk about it." She attempted to deflect with a wavering grin. "I don't really even care all that much who my father is anyways."

Her mother hadn't taken a drink since her brothers had died. Byakuran wasn't such a horrible child as to where she'd let her mother pull a Tsunade trying to get information. She'd rather wander clueless than scar her family.

"Don't lie to me Byakuran, if you care you care. Me having a drink is not an effect of anything you have done or have asked of me." Tatami said leveling a firm look on her daughter.

Hesitantly pulling back Byakuran pouted slightly. "So what if I want to know, I care about you even more than my curiosity."

Tatami smiled and gave her head a pat.

"Do you remember what I told you about your birth?"

Byakuran nodded. "Hai, you set out to conceive a child."

"That I did, do you know why?"

"No kaa-chan."

Tatami took a sip. "It was either provide myself a heir or have a man chosen by the clan do it for me."

Byakuran's brow furrowed, she knew her clan wasn't all rosy but really?

"Not like...rape?" She questioned hesitantly, as a girl this subject was naturally more taboo to her.

Her mother smiled grimly. "It might as well have been."

Repressing the shiver that tried to crawl up her spine and settle at the base of her skull she slide forward and placed a hand on her mother's knee and squeezed in a gesture of comfort.

"The clan when faced with the improbability of something tends to make drastic decisions." Tatami explained. Huh, sounded like another clan she knew. "I was a fit woman possessing the Hanazono kekkai genkai, I could add to their ranks."

"Brood mare." Byakuran muttered and received a glance and a nod from the woman.

"Exactly my little orchid. But for a female who is gifted with the Kakimawasu Rīchi, giving birth is a strenuous and dangerous thing. During the birthing process she is unable to control her emotions and the intent to keep her special chakra under control." Tatami paused. "Now imagine if the woman did not want this child and felt spite towards it. Can you guess what would likely happen?"

"Loss of control." Byakuran whispered her answer, the weight of what the elders were willing to risk to ensure a child born with their trademark ability baring down on her. "You would kill the child."

Her mother hummed her confirmation. "Happens more than I would like to admit and what's worse is that they do not allow the women to stop trying for a baby so even more fetuses are terminated."

"I was not willing to put myself on the line for a babe I wouldn't be able to love when I would be able to spy the face of my rapist in theirs. It would have disgusted me." The turquoise haired woman spat. "A reminder of my failure to maintain control over my body and what it creates. The ultimate insult to a proud woman."

Byakuran was suddenly aware of just how much could have changed if her father hadn't been her mother's choice. A child's life condemned to spiteful hatred sounded awful coming from her mother's mouth especially with all fond memories with her. But Byakuran couldn't bring herself to say she wouldn't have, without a doubt, done the same.

"So I went to Sojiro and asked for a plant to make me incapable of sustaining and carrying any children-"

"Kaa-chan! You didn't?!" Byakuran erupted, shock coating every word. To resort to throwing away her ability to make life? It was too drastic a move for her cautious and thoughtful mother.

Tatami shot her an amused askance glance. "In fact I did but obviously didn't, just take a look in the mirror."

Thoroughly chastised and red in the face, Byakuran settled down and averted her gaze.

A musical chuckled drifted around.

"It's okay my little orchid, the fact that you are worried for me makes me very happy." She placated, planted a kiss on her temple.

"Of course I'm worried." Byakuran grumbled bashfully before turning back to her mother, allowing her to continue.

"As I said, I went to my brother with the intention of becoming barren but he refused saying 'I will not let you damage yourself like this to escape them'." Tatami finished and Byakuran scrunched up her nose.

"That sounds a little mean." She complained, wondering how her oji-sama could say something so harsh. Her mother's options were limited.

Her mother chuckled. "Yes when hearing it now it seems a little insensitive but he meant well. After all he is the reason I was able to get away to have you."

Uncle just gained an extra point.

"So I left under the pretense of a break before coming back here to resign myself to a child. And a month into my vacation I met him." Tatami's eyes took on a glazed happy imprint.

That wasn't enough. Just hearing her mother say _him_ wasn't enough. She needed to the name.

"Who?"

For a long while Tatami let the question sit unanswered before she closed her violet orbs with a sigh. "He never told me anything of his real title, only the alias he used, Sēji. He assumed me a clueless high class lady who knew nothing of ninja affairs just as I had wanted."

"Does that mean you knew who he was?"

Tatami smirked. "No, not at first. He wore a very detailed face altering seal and only his hair was the same. I had only been draw to him after feeling the chakra rippling under the surface of his skin. The Kakimawasu Rīchi if mastered enough can be sensitive to large amounts of energy whether hidden or no."

Byakuran's eyes narrowed contemplatively. "So you figured it out from his chakra alone?"

Tatami laughed. "No child, that wasn't nearly enough. The Kakimawasu Rīchi doesn't allow you to differentiate between people. The glimpse I had received had intrigued me so I had marked him as my target." She smirked dubiously.

Something about hearing her mother talk about her past conquests whether or not that conquest helped make her, was very creepy feeling.

"So I got close, smiled, flirted, allowed him to think he was charming me into his bed. So when I had finally arrived there that was when I had found the clue that had tipped me off."

Byakuran loathed to ask what her mother found while doing the nasty with Jiraiya but she had to know. No matter how much she wished she didn't. "What?"

"I found seals decorating his back that I had accidentally brought to the surface, seals that not even our seals master can apply." Tatami said, voice triumphant. "Seals only a fuuinjutsu master should know. And from there I could only make one conclusion."

She was confused on one thing.

"How did he not notice the pulse of chakra you admitted?" Byakuran asked with a frown. Jiraiya no matter how pervy he seemed was too competent to be so empty headed.

"Oh, he was much too deep inside...of his own sphere of...concentration." Cue a self satisfied gloating smile.

Oh. OH! _OH KAMI GROSS!_ Shuddering faintly she resolutely ignored the innuendo. And attempted to burn it from her innocent child mind.

"So who was he?"

"Only one seal master was known, one from the elemental countries. You may have heard of him in your studies. One of the Densetsu no Sennin, Jiraiya."

Knowing no other way to react, she simply nodded to the information and she was sure she had seen a fleeting look of relief fly over her mother's delicate features.

"But how did you get him to have me?" Her mother had told her he hadn't know about her so how did she do it?

"I drugged him." Tatami shrugged and took a sip of her sake.

Byakuran stared open mouthed at her mother. Did that mean what she thought it meant?

"So you knocked him out? I'd imagine that I'd be hard to do...adult things with him out cold." Byakuran blushed, feeling awkward and unsure.

"Ah, ah, ah," Tatami tsked tapping the tip of her nose three times. "I think you are confused on what I meant by drug. I did not knock him out or induce intoxication, I merely regularly slipped him fertility supplements continually. Myself as well."

That was actually pretty genius. It wasn't like the stuff she was slipping him was hurtful in anyway and he wouldn't be checking his 'how-fast-can-I-get-woman-pregnant?' meter. It was below the radar. Besides if Tsunade could slip him a drug in his drink she was sure her mother would be able to as well.

"Pretty soon my medicine by passed any safe guards he had set up and I only needed the littlest of him to have a child. One night while he was drunk he was a little less neat with the...cleaning up and it was when you took root inside my womb." Absently her mother patted her abdomen with a fond gesture.

"How did he not find out?"

Tatami shrugged. "Not soon after he got called away and left, myself not soon after. Though I didn't return home until I was well into my third term." She waved. "Besides he thought a high class woman would rather carve out her own uterus rather than swell with a bastard children of a poorer man."

Huh. Go figure.

"Was having me hard?" Byakuran asked, concerned about how strenuous it was to carry her.

"One of the hardest, most difficult, nerve-wracking things of my life." Tatami confessed. "But I would go through it all again, just for you."

Her mother leaned forward and placed her forehead on hers.

"And I know I am placing a heavy burden on your shoulders by telling you these things and although you are so mature I wish I could shield you from this." Tatami confessed. "I hope you can forgive me for being so selfish."

Byakuran could feel something warm unfurling deep within her stomach and soon she was beaming. Tackling her mother she buried her face in the curve of her neck and smiled.

"I'll always forgive you cos' love you too much not to kaa-chan!" She chirped, grinning cheekily up at her. Purple eyes sparkling.

"And I you, my little orchid." Tatami glowed with a grateful expression. She brushed a finger over her cheekbones. "Now why don't we go find something better to cover up those mark with, ne?"

**Edit: 1/24/16**

**I find Jiraiya disgusting tbh.**


	8. Family Matters

"_Italics!_" - **Spanish**

* * *

Byakuran stared in horribly concealed fascination at the soggy looking pack of flesh because not even a few hours prior her baby cousin had been born. A spitting image of his father Toshiro slept oblivious, swathed in bundles of blue blankets. She had never really met or spent time with his mother outside of a few glimpses of the women and even then she hadn't known she was her oji-sama's wife or pregnant with a new member of her family!

Watching her little cousin sleep Byakuran felt a pang echo in her chest. Just a few hours into this world and he was already motherless. Complications with the birth left Tsuya - his mother - dying from the aftermath and stress. Scooting closer she pressed a finger to his round cheek and giggled at the soft texture.

"Your kaa-chan may be gone but I'm sure mine will share her love and let me tell you she loves a lot and _very_ hard." Byakuran nodded, a proud look on her face.

As if sensing her comment of having no mother and ignoring her generous offer to share, Toshiro began to cry. _Loudly_ and in increasing pitch.

Panic smacked Byakuran hard and fast. Standing up she floundered for a second, a flustered look climbing onto her previously smiling face. Oh boy, for a newborn he sure had a set of lungs.

"Uwah! Stop crying!" Byakuran nearly wailed in desperation. "I said you could call her kaa-chan too!" Her offer did absolutely nothing to stop the wailing child.

"You can call me your onee-chan also!"

Casting part nervous part expectant looks at the wide double doors, Byakuran groaned. Where the heck were the adults? Couldn't they hear him crying or were they expecting her three and a half year old self to take care of it?

That thought made her pause. Crap they probably were, in their minds if she could handle herself then she could handle a baby.

Turning back to her cousin she mustered up her knowledge on children and expertise with infants, Byakuran reached out hesitantly and brought the blue haired child close to her chest, on top of her heart beat.

Pacing the room she softly tapped at his bottom and whispered into his ear.

"_I'll be the best big sister ever. I'll teach you Spanish and how to read. How to fight, how to lie, how to use jutsu, the works._" Byakuran rambled on in her native tongue, eyes sparkling with happiness. "_And I'll love you lots and lots!_"

"_And when we want to keep something a secret we can speak outside of Japanese. Our own special language that only we will know!_"

And on and on she spoke detailing future adventures, talking about the clan, his father, Samurai, ninja, and everything in between.

"-_and now I have to wear a powder and a cream to cover the red marks._" She finished firmly before looking down at the now silent small baby nestled into the circle of her arms.

Slowly but surely somewhere along the way of her rant, he had drifted off into a light snooze.

"Yatta!" She whisper yelled in triumph but quieted instantly as he shifted a bit.

He was probably hungry, she didn't know if he had been fed yet but it couldn't hurt to go find something for him.

Walking over to his crib she reached to the side and pulled out a little hammock holder thing reminiscent to a child carrier front pack and set him inside.

Correcting its position Byakuran blew her hair from her face and opened the door leading to the hallway.

Peering both ways down the corridors she took a left and headed to the kitchens.

Opening the pantry door she rummaged around searching for some version of Samurai baby milk solution and after several minutes of nothing she growled and stomped one foot irately.

And that's when she met _him_.

"Are you in need of any assistance Byakuran-sama?" A deep male voice asked and she nearly jumped a mile in the air. Whirling around and taking a timed jump back, Byakuran's eyes narrowed as she took in this new arrival.

Although he was dressed, clothed in the Kage no Ken uniform she wouldn't not deign herself to trusting him. Unconsciously her arms tightened protectively over the form of her little cousin.

"State your name, rank, and intention." She snapped, drawing her form up.

Immediately he answered in the staccato format all of the Hanazono warriors were ingrained to respond with. In a kneeling position his fisted hand rested over his heart and the other against the floor.

"Hanazono Ganjuro, Kage no Ken squad commander, and it seemed as if you needed help with something Byakuran-sama."

"Who sent you?"

"Your mother and uncle."

Upon hearing this news she relaxed if not slightly but still held herself akimbo and at the ready.

"So you're here to help me, yeah?" She questioned, eyes roaming around the room and the thrown open cabinets.

"Yes Byakuran-sama."

"Then er, can you find me some infant food." She said, feeling awkward for asking this specialized killer to help feed her newborn cousin.

"It's not for me!" She added unnecessarily, like he couldn't spot the bundle in her care. "I just thought, ya know he might be hungry. I'm not exactly sure if he had eaten and he's new so he could like, get really sick if we don't feed him regularly and I can't find it and it'll be my fault if he-"

A box of baby milk powder was thrusted in her face. Looking away from the various cupboards she turned toward the scarfed man. Violet met violet.

"Is this what you were searching for Byakuran-sama?" He asked and she could swear up and down there was a tone of amusement flavoring his flat voice.

"I totally cleared out the places where it definitely couldn't have been for you." She snapped, taking the powder from his hands.

"Of course Byakuran-sama."

"I'm serious!"

"I know Byakuran-sama."

"...Is that sarcasm I'm spotting?"

"...I would never Byakuran-sama."

Shooting her rather cheeky guard a playfully suspicious glare she read through the instructions and stroked her chin in thought. Very interesting~.

"Why don't you handle this?" She decided pressing the canister back into his hands. Some of that kanji was hard and she didn't want to mess anything up.

"Are you sure it's wise to trust a stranger to something so important?" He questioned, sounding honestly curious and Byakuran's eyes met his and for a long while she said nothing at all. Just...stared.

Suddenly a smile blossomed on her face and she moved to take a seat in a nearby chair. Her back wasn't made for carrying a baby for so longer, Samurai child or not.

"Well you're not really a stranger to me now are you?" Byakuran carefully removed the cloth covering Toshiro's face in preparation of his feeding. "Right, stalker-oji-sama?"

Silence reigned a second time as she listened to Ganjuro move around their large kitchen. A hand entered her field of vision and she reached out to take the bottle from his grasp.

Sliding the tip into her now awake cousin's mouth she made sure he was drinking before paying her attention to the patiently waiting man.

"When did you figure it out?"

Byakuran shrugged one delicate shoulder. "Just now when I gazed into you eyes. You have the same eye shape as my mom. Not to mention kaa-chan told me about my shadow watcher." Shifting the bottle Byakuran glared at her uncle.

"And speaking of shadow watching we definitely need to talk about your stalking tendencies!"

Ganjuro was silent for a bit, taking in her proclamation before he collapsed his face into one of his hands, his shoulders shaking.

Byakuran rigid then pale at the sight of this specialized assassin hunched over.

"H-hey! If the thought of not stalking me kills you so bad then you can keep it as a hobby!" She attempted to placate, waving her now free hand frantically. "J-just stop crying or doing whatever it is you're doing!"

Abruptly he sat up and bowed his head. "As you wish Byakuran-sama."

Well wasn't that a quick recovery.

"And stop calling me 'Byakuran-sama', you're my uncle and elder. Just my name is enough."

"As you wish Byakuran." Her uncle acquiesced.

Setting the empty bottle on the counter Byakuran furrowed her brow.

"So were crying early or was that some kind of seizure Kage no Ken commanders get?"

Ganjuro shook his head. "No I was not crying."

"Then what was that all about?"

"I was in the midst of laughing, you are an amusing girl." Her uncle's eyes shifted into U's and she shivered at the signature Kakashi move. Byakuran got the feeling he was smiling under that mask.

"You know," She mused. "you're oddly mouthy for a body guard."

"The same could be said for a child of your age Byakuran."

"...Touche..."

"Thank you."

"GANJURO!" Her mother's voice screamed out, startling the baby in her arms. "I CAN'T FIND THE CHILDREN AND I KNOW WATCH MY DAUGHTER'S EVERY BREATHE, HAVE YOU SEEN THEM!"

Her uncle flinched slightly at the noise before giving her chakra a flare.

The door was pulled open and Tatami blinked before flashing a thousand watt smile.

"Oh so you've met. I'll go inform Sojiro of his son's whereabouts now. Wouldn't want to intrude on any uncle niece bonding time." And with a bow her mother slide the wooden doors closed.

Byakuran blanched.

"You can't just leave after saying something like that! Watching my every breathe! You stalker-oji!" She accused pointing at her rather calm relative.

"Having you under my care requires me to watch you."

"Like a stalker?!"

"If that is the way you wish to perceive it, then yes." Cue U eye curl smile.

"...You Samurai ANBU are some hardcore people."

"Thank you."

"IT WASN'T A COMPLIMENT!"

* * *

**Edit: 1/24/16**

**I really love her uncle tbh. He's modeled after Future!Kakashi a little bit.**


	9. Water In The Rows

'_This stuff_'- **Spanish**

* * *

Violet met violet as Byakuran stared hard into childish eyes, hers reflecting frustration as his did amusement.

"Say '_sister_'." Byakuran instructed for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past five minutes. Her patience finite as she glared with puffed up cheeks at her baby cousin who in turn did the same.

"Come on it's like the easiest word ever. I'll even break it down for you, '_sis-ster_'." She said slowly, drawing out the word which was completely lost on her giggling, food throwing pseudo-brother.

Sighing deeply she massaged her forehead.

"Seriously Toshiro just say it for me _one_ time," Byakuran pleaded, hands clasped together. "Follow my mouth and form the syllables, '_siss-_GAH!"

Practically throwing herself to the floor she dodged the glob of mashed food and huffed disdainfully at the now madly cackling child. Whose bright idea was it to give him that bowl of _vomit_ anyways?

"So you'll practice your aim but you won't practice your _Spanish_." She accused pushing herself up from her position on the ground. "I see how it is."

Dusting invisible dirt from her hands as she clapped them together she turned with a snooty dismissive tilt of her head stalked towards the door. "I wash myself of your company. Good day sir."

Throwing open the tatami door she glanced around the hallway.

"Stalker-oji-sama! Come watch your unteachable nephew cuz I have lessons now!" She shouted and like stalker he was named for, he melted out of the shadows to her left and bowed.

"Of course Byakuran," He acquiesced. "But I think it is hardly his fault that he is unteachable. After all he is a mere few month-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She waved off with an amused eye roll. "Enough out of you Mr. Sassy pants. Sojiro-oji-sama waits for no one and I doubt he'd be merciful if my excuse was 'your brother talks too much'."

Taking off down the hall she cast a hasty wave behind her.

Gah! She had wasted - well not really since she was determined to have his first word be spoken in Spanish - all that time with that blue haired baby and not enough time preparing for her lessons. Byakuran refused to be late and suffer punishment. _Refused_.

Bursting into her room she ripped open her drawers and tugged out a pair of black shorts and a grey sleeveless shirt with their flowered orchid crest on the back. Hop-stripping out of her current attire she tugged on her battle clothes and sandals and grabbed her boken and sheath before she jogged over to her window.

Looking down from the third story opening she gauged the distance before vaulting over the edge and monkeying onto the nearby tree. Tightening her fingers around the trunk, she channeled chakra to her palms and latched on.

Spidering down with only her hands as an anchor - since she couldn't push any chakra through the material of her footwear - Byakuran ended up on the ground.

Racing past various clan members and zigzagging by stationary objects she ended up at the large pond on the clan's estate. Spying her uncle she walked up to him and gave a formal bow.

"Ohayo oji-sama." She greeted with a cheeky grin.

Taking a sip of his tea he casted her a quirked brow. "It completely defeats the purpose of being formal if you smile like the cat who got the creme."

That only made her grin widen. "Yeah I know, that's why I do it."

"Insufferable brat."

"Crotchety old man." She grumbled right back before she yelped at the sharp rap to the back of her head.

"Ow! What was that for oji?" She scowled rubbing the back of her head. That really hurt.

"Mind your manners gaki and take off your shoes, you won't need them for today."

Shrugging off the faint stinging at her neck she toed off her scandals and wiggled her toes in the grass.

"Next?" She asked, rocking back on her heels.

"Now go walk on the water. I'll instruct from here." Her uncle said nonchalantly, expecting her to pull a Jesus of Nazareth as he sat down, pulled out a scroll and began writing down whatever it was clan head's wrote down.

Giving the pond - it was more of a lake really - a distrustful look she nervously shuffled closer to her uncle until she ended up practically in his lap.

He sighed and looked down at her. "What is it now?"

Byakuran tittered a bit pulling out of his personal space.

"Well, this may seem totally crazy and unbelievable based on knowing my amazingly talented self but uh, I don't uh, actually uh..._knowhowtodothis_!" Her last words so rushed they slipped into one jumbled mess.

He turned her a droll look. "Repeat that again."

With a cherry red face and an embarrassed whisper to her voice she did as he asked and received another raised brow and deep sigh.

"Stand and watch me." Without another word her uncle made his way out onto the calm surface of the water without causing a single ripple.

From what she could feel he seemed to be distributing his chakra evenly between his feet and the surface below him and as easy as that sounded it definitely wasn't a walk in the park.

Ha, _walk_ in the park. Pun master Byakuran.

"You were successful at climbing surfaces yes?" Her asked and Byakuran nodded.

"It is pretty much the same principle but this is not as constant like a wall or a tree is." He explained. "Water moves. It bends and it shifts, and with it so must you."

In the blink of an eye, quicker than hers could have caught, he was suddenly on the shore back in his previous position.

"I expect you to figure out what I mean, the sooner the better." And he went back to ignoring her like the loving uncle he was. Charming ain't he?

Turning a scrutinizing glare at the liquid death trap she walked over and crouched by the bank.

First things first, she needed to list what she knew about this exercise.

1\. The training method is used to gain better chakra control.

Well that was a no-brainer considering Sakura, with her perfect control could pass it with ease.

2\. The user has to emit a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet and use the repellent force to walk across the surface of the water.

Byakuran already knew from watching and reading hours of Naruto that she would fall through if she stopped pushing out chakra and her hair took _ages_ to dry.

And 3. This obliviously was more difficult to master than tree walking because the chakra that a person emits changed constantly.

So in other words this was going to take some effort.

Steeling herself she leaned forward and pressed her palms to the surface and let her energy set her hands afloat. Alternating between pushing down and letting up she let herself become familiar with the process of changing her chakra output.

In the midst of the quiet atmosphere the sound of a high pitched shriek followed by a splash was heard and Byakuran stood up from the shallows. Rivulets of water dripping back into the mass around her.

"Okay, pushed too hard, didn't send enough chakra." She muttered. "Better to learn my lesson now rather than later."

Trudging back to the shoreline, very happy that she wore light weight clothes, she sat down and started her exercise again. This time using her feet.

Bracing her hands behind her she ambled up into a sort of stationary crab walking form and concentrated.

Adding more chakra when the clear liquid licked her ankles and taking some away when they would get ejected from the water she practiced for hours. All the while her uncle watched with silent approval.

"Okay oji-sama, I think I got it now." She declared after sometime, wobbly rising to a stand she nearly lost her stance trying to stabilize herself.

"I'm good." She assured herself with a breathy laugh.

Taking a few cautious steps out deeper into the pond a slow triumphant grin made it on her face because _she was freaking doing it._

Excitedly she turned to face her uncle she gave an ecstatic jump for joy.

"YATTA! I DID IT OJI-SAMA!" Byakuran screamed, waving her arms. "AREN'T YOU SO PROUD OF ME!"

Her uncle shook his head in exasperation. "Good work gaki, but if you keep jumping around like that you'll lose your concentration and-" _SPLASH_! "-fall into the water below you." Staring at the water he watched as she burst from its surface.

"I'M OKAY!" She called, waving a hand.

Her uncle snorted. "You had better be, I wouldn't want to be the one to explain the reason why you had drowned to my battle axe of a sister."

"Mean!"

"Truthful."

"...Yeah...I wouldn't want to tell her either."

"So glad you agree with me. Now shut up and keep practicing." He said sarcastically.

"YOU CROTCHETY OLD MAN!"

"Shut and do as I say gaki, before I have you excommunicated from the clan."

Byakuran glowered. "You do that and I'll tell my mom you called her a, how did you put it? Battle axe."

"...I teach you kenjutsu next and this is never mentioned again."

"With the white sword?"

Her uncle seemed to struggle with the decision. "...Yes."

Byakuran cackled. "You got yourself a deal oji."

* * *

**Edit: 1/24/16**


	10. Sharp Edge Of A Blade

'_This stuff_' - **Spanish**

* * *

Byakuran was happy, unbelievably so. She skipped wherever she walked and grinned whenever the mood struck her, even going as far as burst into maniacal cackles, scaring everyone within the vicinity. She spoke with a cheerfully upbeat tone and her eyes positively sparkled every time she blinked. Everyone and their mother had noticed the difference in her, which was good considering Byakuran was all for letting the whole world know her _immense_ joy.

And the reason why was clutched in her hand nearly at all times. The white katana that went by the name Awai Kyokusen or The Pale Curve was her constant companion. This was one of the three blades of the clan along with Kakimawasu Ken or The Churning Sword - Kakimawasu Ken was also the name of the fighting style involving their kekkai genkai - and Chi o Hisunoizu or The Hissing Blood.

Now let her give a little background information on The San Ken or The Three Blades. All of them were distinct to the Hanazono clan and all three could only be handled by a person from the Hanazono clan. Although considering the Awai's function someone outside the clan _could_ wield it but not for long.

There hasn't been a person who could deal with all three at the same time for five generations, her mother and uncle could only use two which was still very impressive but not worth legendary proportions.

These three swords had a function and a history and she'd explain them all.

Let's start with Awai Kyokusen, the one currently in her hand. The white sword, like all three had a special use. Awai Kyokusen constantly drew the chakra needed for iaido, the Samurai blade technique, from her system. Now someone's probably wondering how the seemingly not sentient katana could take her internal energy so easily and just what the hell this _iaido_ was.

Well she'll tell, starting with the easier one, the Samurai technique.

Iaidō refers to a specific style of kenjutsu that specialized in smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard so one could strike or cut an opponent, remove the blood from the blade, and then replace the sword in the sheath. The type of linear motion and force applied to draw the sword from the scabbard resulted in slashes that are faster and stronger than the ones done with the sword already in a person's grasp.

The speed at which iaido can be used - the initial strike in particular - was so fast that when performed by a very skilled user it can prevent enemy shinobi from forming hand seals (and by proxy ninjutsu) by exploiting the small opening that these movements create. This makes them highly effective against most ninja if performed by one who has mastered the style. How could ninja fight with their ninjutsu if they could form seals? Answer: they can't.

She didn't know the exact reason the Awai Kyokusen absorbed chakra since her ADD got in the way of paying attention to her history lessons but apparently the blacksmith - Hanazono Hanji - who created the blades used extensive amounts of his chakra and seals while forging and creating the blade. In particular, he utilized extensive amounts of _mental_ chakra which was why it sort of has a mind of it's own when someone took hold of it.

Like she had said before, anyone could potentially weild it but it wouldn't work for long unless they were someone from her clan and someone who had a _lot_ of chakra. And _boy_ was she lucky she was loaded with the stuff else her uncle would have said no to her proposal and she would have been forced to tell her mother what he said.

Kakimawasu Ken was made pretty much the same was as Awai but he used his Kakimawasu chakra and fuuinjutsu instead. It reacted pretty much the same way but by pulling the kekkai genkai energy into the blade.

Imagine a chakra covered katana where one would barely have to move in order to send a wave of red crashing over their enemies. Effective? Byakuran would hope so.

Of course not every person in her clan could and would be able to hold Kakimawasu Ken because if they didn't have the special chakra it would kill them trying to draw on something that wasn't there. Not to mention only the head families had the right to earn permission. To be honest Byakuran wasn't sure if _she_ even had the clan's bloodline. She was a half breed, her father's blood taking away from her chance at having a chance to hold all three which kind of pissed her off.

Chi o Hisunoizu, the Hissing Blood - anyone should be able to guess how this one came about - only accepted clan members with pure Hanazono blood and once it took that blood it was poisonous to others until it ran out. She didn't know what it meant by pure but if it meant it in a literal sense then her chances was dashed.

A pang of anger pulsed through her chest and stubbornly Byakuran pushed it back. She refused to hate Jiraiya because if she did she would have to hate her mother as well. And she ignored the little venomous voice whispering about how easy it would be to place that dark emotion at the Sanin's feet.

She shook her head. There was still a possibility and she would cling to it. Byakuran hadn't yet reached the age to have herself tested so it was _fine_.

"Perfectly fine." She affirmed with a nod.

Tightening her grip on the seemingly purring Awai she remembered what her uncle had told her about it.

"The more positively it reacts, the more of the clan it recognizes you as." He said, spotting the insecurity in her gaze. "If the Awai likes you, you are more than worthy."

Lifting the pale katana to her chest she gave it a hug and a twirl.

"Aw, I like you _too_ Awai-chan!" She said, spirits lifted as it rattled harder.

It was final, Byakuran would be the first in five generations to wield all three. Even if it killed her, she would complete her goal and that was a promise on her honor.

Setting the sword on her bed she gathered up her outfit for the day and slipped it on. It was a white battle kimono with a violet sash that ended at her thighs with a pair of black short shorts underneath. Slipping on her sandals - much like Shippuden Hinata's except with a flatter bottom instead of her platform like ones - she slung Awai over her shoulder and exited her room.

On top of having been training her in kenjutsu for weeks her uncle had agreed to bring her on a trip to a nearby Shinobi/Civilian/Samurai despot if she had met his criteria.

Byakuran grinned and flipped her hair in pride. Psh, she met it, through cringing pain and tearful training she had completed his regime in time and it had totally been worth it.

"Oji-sama, Kaa-chan, Ganjuro-oji-sama!" Byakuran called, waving happily deciding not to call him a stalker in front of people. That was how happy she was.

"Ready to go to Takumi Village, aren't we my little orchid?" Her mother asked settling near the front of the caravan with Toshiro happily reaching for the white haired girl. Cute little bugger.

"Yeah! Definitely!" She agreed laughing, taking the baby from her mom as he gurgled happily. "Hey Tocchan! Ready to call me '_sister_' yet?"

And when she only received a smack on her forehead from a small uncoordinated hand she sighed sadly. "I guess not but that doesn't mean we can't work on it."

"Tatami." Her Kage no Ken uncle called. "What exactly does that mean? I've heard her speak like that many times before and I cannot understand."

Her mother snorted. "It's a little language she made up ever since she was a child." Her mother explained. "Now she's gonna teach it to Toshiro."

For a second her uncle was silent. "Your daughter...created...a language?" He questioned, tone skeptical. "You do realize how _ingenious_ that is?"

Sojiro barked a laugh. "That's one way to describe that gaki."

"I heard that you crotchety old man!" Said gaki shouted, much to the amusement of the two adults. "Don't listen to your tou-san, I'm hardly a brat as much as he is a stale, slowly graying elder."

A hand connected sharply with the back of her head. "Gaki, stop corrupting my gaki and my hair is not losing color."

"Ow!" She cried whipping around to glare at her uncle. "Irresponsible use of techniques!"

The blue haired man snorted. "I'm the clan head, what I do is law." Not a second later he was hunched over with her mother's fist hovering near his own head. Karma, how effective thou art.

"Damnit Tatami." He growled, giving into the urge to comfort his own pain and Byakuran having intimate knowledge of her mother's strength, rubbed her neck in sympathy. "What was that for?!"

"What?" Her mother said with a innocent smile. "I was merely following your laws Hanazono-sama." She said with a deep bow.

"Pawned." Byakuran snickered, allowing her cousin to tangle his pudgy fingers in her hair with a wince. "She totally got you."

"Damn mouthy brat, get in the wagon." Her uncle instructed heading to the front with her mother.

"Remember, keep your hands and feet inside the cart at all times!" Her mother called, cautioning her.

"I know kaa-chan! You told me this like five times!" Byakuran shouted back.

"Just making sure you remember!"

"How could I forget with you constantly reminding me?" She muttered and wow, did she remind her. Notes in her shower, shoes, breakfast, her _underwear_, hell in the sheath of Awai! And she didn't know how she pulled that considering she never let it out of her sight. Overprotective motherly instincts were terrifying.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

Byakuran cringed in fear, yes truly terrifying. "NOTHING KAA-SAMA!"

"That's what I thought dear!"

Settling on the roof of the expensive comfy wagon - because it sort of seemed modeled after a double decked bus - she set Toshiro between her legs as Ganjuro appeared to her left.

"You have to teach me that."

He chuckled. "When you're older."

"I'll hold you to it." She paused. "Um Stalker-oji? What is Takumi Village?" Because she did _not_ know.

Like the Wikipedia of the ninja world he spit out the information she needed. So useful, her Stalker-ouji-sama.

"Takumi Village resides in the Land of Rivers. It was founded approximately one hundred years ago by a man named Seimei. Takumi is known for its skills in making weaponry, many of which are sold to the ninja villages of the world and sometimes Samurai will go buy."

"So we'll meet ninja there?" She questioned, wary.

"No need to worry Byakuran, Toshiro-sama and you both will be safe." He assured and minutely Byakuran relaxed.

Looking over the passing terrain, Byakuran couldn't help but wonder and fear over who exactly she would run into while there.

Suddenly the prospect of visiting Takumi Village didn't seem like so much fun.

* * *

**Edit:1/24/16**

**What do you think about the swords?**


	11. Mind Over Matter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I own Byakuran.**

* * *

Byakuran took it back, Takumi Village was the shit!

Seriously it was like the Naruto world equivalent of New York! There were so many people here and so what if she was a tad bit sheltered? If she could pull a Jesus on water then she could very well handle a more social scene.

Walking beside her uncle she grabbed onto his sleeve and followed him closely as he had instructed.

Eyes scanning over nearly every crook and cranny she nearly began to jump up and down in repressed excitement. It was a far cry from the serene scene of the Hanazono compound but it was charming all the same. Perhaps even in some ways better but that was a whole other argument.

He shot her an unimpressed look which she skillfully ignored. If he didn't want her to act like a child he could wait about ten years or so. By then she'd be teenager so she'd pester him with her hormones and desire for expensive clothes and she'd see how he liked _that_ instead.

"So why are we here?" She asked, glancing upward. "I know you said weapons but don't we already have some?"

"Clan business. There's an associate here we need to meet with." He explained crisply. "Sadly you will not be able to stay and watch but there are perimeters set up around this establishment. Stay within them."

Byakuran nodded, glancing at the round fences. "Am I going to watch over Toshiro or is he going with you?"

Her uncle looked at his son cradled in his other arm.

"As much as I loathe to admit it that boy can't stay quiet for longer than a minute without something to preoccupy him. And even then he'd still scream his head off." He sighed. "Picked that up from his mother I swear."

Inclining her head in agreement - because what else could she do when she didn't know the person he was referring to? - she accepted the child into her arms.

Smiling into his jewel eyes she pressed a kiss to the underside of his chin and watched him giggle. Gosh was he so darn _cute_ as he patted her cheeks together and attempted to eat her nose.

Approaching a series of large patios and pitched up tents Byakuran watched as the two adults - her mother had went on ahead of them - entered the main set up she snagged onto her second uncles pants.

"Wait you're going with them?" She questioned lowly, brow furrowed. "I thought you were going to stay with Toshiro and me?"

Ganjuro kneeled down beside her, taking his fingers through her hair. "I'm needed for this one Byakuran-chan, so I will not be able to stay. I'm sorry."

Biting her lip she shifted her little cousin over to her other hip.

"But then who's going to protect me - us?" She questioned gesturing the two of them.

"The Hanazono we brought along and the guards stationed around." He answered, pointing to one of their clansmen and to another man with a sword. "And trust us all to come running if you need us to."

Staring deep into his eyes she sighed and nodded, releasing the grip on his clothes. They were probably wondering what was taking him so long.

"Here," He said after seeing her face fall, pressing a bracelet into her hand. "If you're in danger during our stay channel chakra into this and it'll pinpoint me to your location."

Sliding out onto her wrist she smiled faintly.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now be careful okay?" He chuckled and she watched her uncle enter the tent before slinking off to the side and leaning on a nearby post.

She knew that there were people in her family that could care less if she, the bastard child, were killed in an enemy ninja or samurai attack. But it was a whole different matter when it was concerning Toshiro who was the full blooded heir to the clan. If anything they would save her because he happened to be in her arms.

Tightening her grip on her cousin she set off to explore. If the adults were going to be in a meeting she was going to make something of her free time.

There were plenty of stalls to walk by and look at. From food to crafting and everything in between, this place had it all. She was practically absorbed into the chain of commerce and everything seemed like it belonged in a whole different universe.

So it came as a complete surprise when suddenly she wanted to leave the district.

At first it was nothing she noticed, just a simple thought of '_huh, I wonder what's out there?_' and '_hm, should I go take a look?_' so she didn't pay it any mind. Every now and then she would glance towards the main road, each time a little longer and with a little more curiosity until finally she found herself taking several steps forward.

_I bet it would be fu_n, a foreign cold part of her mind beseeched, _just a peak. It won't __**hurt**__ anyone._

Another few steps towards the entrance before she blinked.

But wasn't she supposed to stay _within_ the limits? Hadn't Sojiro given her that rule _himself_? Besides why would she want to leave when everything that interested her was right here?

_Ah, but do you even know what's beyond here?_ The voice cooed. _It could be something more interesting than a few beads and melted metals?_

Byakuran shuffled in her spot, gaze flitting between the exit and place behind her.

She couldn't just _leave_. What if someone needed to speak to her or tell her something important? What if the meeting finished early and her family found out she was gone? They would _never_ trust her again.

_You'll be back before then_. It persuaded, a clouded grip spinning a web around her mind. _You'll be back long after it's over._

She was still torn, mind pulling in two separate directions before her cautious side gave another cry.

But what about Toshiro? He was too young and important to just bring with her and she had a responsibility to keep him safe? She would never forgive herself if he was hurt.

_Bring him along_, the voice said with a thrilled hiss and Byakuran could feel a cold spot form inside of her chest as she unwillingly found herself beginning to agree, _the more the merrier! He'll be __**perfectly**__ safe._

How would she get out? There were guards everywhere, always watching and they wouldn't let her leave.

_Don't worry about them_. The voice purred. _Don't worry about __**anything**__._

She moved forward, body mechanical and limbs heavy like lead. Maybe she was thinking about this a little too much. Maybe she should just _go_.

_They won't even notice that you're missing._

One, two, three more steps towards the gate and she was prepared to go. It made sense, she was just one child in this place and they didn't even like her that much _anyways_. Why would they give her lacking presence any mind?

_They're not even paying attention. _It coerced softly. _Just slip out._

Almost there now, only a few more paces. She could do this, it would be easy. It would be fun!

_So don't worry about being seen, __**we**__ have __**everything covered.**_

And _that's_ where she drew up short.

Cocking her head to the side Byakuran frowned, a tiny blip surfacing out of the cloud blanketing her.

Why would she think of herself plurally?

Furrowing her brow she idly rubbed at her forehead.

And having it covered? What did that even mean? And _why_ in the _world_ was she _leaving_? Everything beyond this point was nothing but desolate land, where would she _go_?

_Aren't you going to come see?_ The voice - the one that didn't belong - questioned and Byakuran pressed her fingers harder against her skull. There was a pounding in her head and she couldn't think straight.

_Just one more step, move past the doors. It'll be okay,_ the dark, insidious voice whispered and Byakuran felt panic flare up her spine. _It'll be __**perfectly**__ okay._

That wasn't a good idea, she had her orders and she _had_ to stick by them.

_Just talk a small walk outside, isn't it stuffy? Don't you want some fresh air?_

Breathing heavily she felt herself nod. It was feeling just a tad bit too _tight_ in here. There were so many people and so little oxygen, so wouldn't it make sense just to leave for a while? It would be fine, she was only going out for a second and all of that reasoning made sense - except for one thing.

_Why would she need clearer air if the wind was blowing in her face?_

For the first time she could feel the slimy sensation of something dripping into her consciousness and Byakuran tensed up, backpedaling away.

"No!" She cried out fearfully but it was drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Why hadn't she just waited near the tent?! "No, no, no, no, _nonononono_-"

_**Yes**_. The voice boomed in her head, no longer persuasive and endearing but hard and unyielding as an invisible vise tightened over something vital and a heavy fog floated into her mind. _Now come, no one will see you leave._

Feeling her psyche give one last - futile - buck against the intruder, Byakuran bowed her head and numbly stumbled out of the gate.

They had told her to come and she _would_.

* * *

**Well good luck Byakuran!**

**1/24/16**

**P.s! It's not Orochimaru! There's no way he would know that she even exists.**


End file.
